Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 16.djvu/690

* QUEBEC. 604 QUEBEC. growing race hostility in Lower Canada, as Quebec was then lalloil. During the second war between the United Stales and Great Britain the province suffered little; on the contrary, the general cH'ect was a greater unity of sentiment among the two leading elements of its popula- tion, although up to 183(i the relations between the elective assembly and the royal governors were far from cordial. This fact, however, led but few French-Canadians of prominence to take part in the Rebellion of 18.37-38, which resulted in the collapse of Papineau's scheme of 'La Nation Canadienne.' (See P.pineau, Louis Joseph.) In the latter year the population of Lower Canada aj)proached .300,000. of whom one- fourth were of i?rilish origin, and this clement Largely controlled the industry of the pi'ovinee. Quebec and Montreal each boasted a population of 35.000. Following the Rebellion, the two provinces were again united for general purjioses by the Act of 1841. and a Parliament of two elective Houses constituted. As there was some opposi- tion to the provision that all debates in this Parliament must be conducted in English, this was shortly repealed in favor of the French rep- resentatives from (^)uebec. By the Act of 1807 Quebec became a part of the Dominion of Canada, of which the course of her leaders has made her a conservative, though consistently loyal mem- ber, despite scattered attempts to stir up race feeling during the Riel Rebellion of 1885 (see Kiel, Louis) and the recent Boer War. See Caxad.. BiBLiOGKAPHY. Low, "E.xplorations and Sur- veys in the Interior of the Gaspe Peninsula." in Vunada (leoloc/ical fiurvpy Report of Progress (Quebec, 1883) ; Coffin, "The Province of Quebec in the Early American Revolution," in University of Wisconsin Bulletin, vol. i.. No. iii. (Madison, 1896) ; Quebec Laiids, Forests, and Fislieries (Quebec, 1898). QUEBEC. The capital of the Province of Quebec, and the oldest city in Canada, in latitude 4(i° 48' N., longitude 71° "l2' W., 180 miles north- eastof ilntreal.430 miles north-northeast of New York (Map: Quebec, E 4). Quebec is situated on a promontory called Cape Diamond, named from the prevalence of quartz, and formed by the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Saint Charles rivers. Its picturesque position, and the fact that its historical sites have never been de- faced and altered, make it one of the most roman- tic and interesting towns in North America. It resembles a media'val European town rather than a city in the New World, and. owing to its im- pregnable aspect, has been termed the Oil)raltar of America. Grouped on and below the rocky, precipitous bluff, with its low. irregular build- ings and river craft at the base, it presents a quaint appearance. The city is divided into an upper and a lower town. Access to the former, perched high on the precipitous eminence, is obtained by several flights of narrow steps, an elevator, and a steep and winding street. The portion of the upper to«ii near which lie the suburbs of Saint John and Saint Louis is surrounded by a mas- sive wall, but several of the fortifications have, been destroyed. Three gates have been re- moved, the two remaining being Saint Louis and Kent Gate, The summit of Cape Dia- mond is crowned by a citadel, covering forty acres, at a height of 333 feet above the level ot the river, dating in its present form from 1823, and garrisoned by Canadian njilitia. The upper town contains the principal residences, churclies, buildings, public walks and gardens, and shops. One of its most interesting points is the Duli'erin Terrace, a promenade, 1400 feet long and 200 feet above the river, opened in 1879 and affording a fine view. This was constructed on the site of the residence of the early French governors, the Chateau Saint Louis, destroyed by fire in 1834. In the Governor's garden, overlooking the Saint Lawrence River, stands a monument to the mem- ory of Wolfe and Montcalm, and on the Saint Foye Road an iron pillar surmounted by a l)ron7,e statue commemorates the battle of Saint Foye, fought on that site. Quebec's chief attractions are: the Parliament and departmental buildings; the court-hoise, cus- tom-house, and city hall: the Masonic hall; the Basilica, formerly the cathedral, with specimens of several of the greatest painters; the Seminary of Quebec; the Laval University, deriving its name from the first Bishop of Quebec, and well equipped with a library, musevim, a picture gal- lery, and scientific ap])aratus — the largest edu- cational Roman Catholic institution in Canada; and the Ursuline Convent, where Montcalm is buried. Quebec has the Hotel Dieu Convent and Hospital; Morrin College (Presbyterian), called after its founder and connected with McGill University of Montreal ; and the Marine Hos- pital. There are many educational institutions, several public libraries, and a literary aiid his- torical society, foiuided at Morrin College in 1824, which possesses valuable records and his- torical manuscripts. The lower town is the seat of commerce, and much rock has been cut to construct its narrow, irregular streets. Near it are the districts of Saint Roch and Saint Sauveur, containing many manufactories. The chief industry is the ship- ping of lund)er brought in rafts and collected into coves which extend for six miles above the town. The principal manufactures and exports are leather, iron castings, boots, shoes, furs, grain, cattle, musical instruments, cutlery, machinery, nails, india-rubber goods, rope, and steel. Qiielno early achieved a reputation for ship-buildin,l.^ and the Roijiil Williinn. one of the first vesseU to cross the Atlantic by means of steam alone, was built here in 1831. The rocks and wharves extend three miles from the mouth of the Saint Charles, where the sjiacious Louise Basin is inelo.sed by the Louise Embankment, which forms a fine river-front promenade, Quebec is supplied with water from Lake Saint Charles, and is lighted by electricity, tlic power for which is obtained from ^Montmorency Falls, seven miles distant. Quebec sends three members to the Dominion House of Commons and three to the Provincial Legislature. Interesting localities in the neighborhood in- clude the Plains of Abraham, named after a pilot of the Saint Lawrence who owned this tract of land, and containing a monument to Wolfe in honor of the victory of 1759; Wolfe's Cove, where the British encamped; Pr&s de Ville. where Gen- eral Montgomery fell in 1775; Jlontmorency Falls, where Montcalm resisted Wolfe, noted for its beaiitiful scenery and cataract; Beauport and its asvluni; Levis, with its three forts; Lorette (q.v, ), with its falls, Indian church, and.